Unforgettable
by Shasta627
Summary: 5 times Mateo gave Elena the perfect gift plus the 1 time she gave him an unforgettable one… [Written for a 2018 Secret Santa Exchange. One-shot. Elena x Mateo].


**_A/N: This was written as a Christmas present for my lovely friend ravenclawinautumn over on Tumblr for a Secret Santa Exchange. Hope you enjoy the festive Eleteo ahah! Read and enjoy xD _**

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_5 times Mateo gave Elena the perfect gift + the 1 time she gave him an unforgettable one…_

**I. **

Elena peered around the corner, scouring the hallway before she let out a small breath of relief when she saw it was empty. She knew it was ridiculous for her to be sneaking around the palace—her own _home_—but Esteban was wandering about the hallways too, and she didn't really want to run into him.

It wasn't that she was scared of or mad at her older cousin, just annoyed with him more than anything. He kept pestering her about her speech for the New Year's gala they were hosting the following weekend—even though it was already well over a week into the new year—and asking her whether or not she had finished writing it yet.

And much to his exasperation, her answer continued to remain the same: no. But that still didn't deter him from asking every time he saw her, which led to Elena trying to avoid him, so that she wouldn't have to explain to him for the upteenth time that she still hadn't finished writing the speech.

It wasn't like she was purposefully procrastinating; she just didn't know what to say, and everything she had written seemed too stiff and formal—too unlike her. She knew it didn't have to be a big, extravagant address, just a simple speech to the people of Avalor to start out the new year, but she still wanted it to be heartfelt and meaningful. She put her heart and soul into everything she did for her kingdom, and this speech was going to be no different.

She suddenly tensed as she heard voices coming from a room nearby, and with a start realized it was Mateo and Esteban. They continued to grow louder as they evidently were moving closer to her, so in a quick spurt of speed Elena launched herself down the hallway and slipped into a supply closet, hopefully prolonging another encounter with her cousin.

"...and maybe we should add some other musicians as well? So that there's a variety of music to dance to," she heard Mateo say, and immediately knew they were discussing the event that she was currently dreading.

"More people? What's wrong with the musician I picked?" Esteban sniffed in disdain.

Elena peered through the closet keyhole and could see them nearing her hiding place, and began to slowly back up to conceal herself deeper in the closet.

"Well, technically nothing, but aren't you all about experiencing other cultures and tradition? If other kingdoms are going to be visiting, don't you think they'd like to hear some music from their own hometowns too?"

The chancellor simply hummed in response, which Elena knew was a sign that meant Mateo was right but Esteban didn't want to admit it. "We'll see," he eventually muttered, his voice drifting in from right outside the closet door.

Elena took another step back and felt her shoulder bump into a pile of mops stacked against the wall. With surprising swiftness she managed to turn and grab them so they wouldn't all clatter to the ground, but one escaped her grasp and fell with a loud thump on the floor.

"What was that?" Esteban asked sharply.

Elena grimaced, waiting for the closet door to be yanked open and for her to be exposed. She tried to wrack her brain, dredging up half-thought out excuses she could use to explain her situation when she heard Mateo say, "Probably just a rat in the supply closet. I'll take care of it."

"Thank you," Esteban said gratefully, his voice growing fainter. "I have to go, so I'll see you around." The sound of his fading footsteps were drowned out by Mateo's approaching ones. The door was cautiously opened a second later, a ray of light shining right on Elena as she crouched in the back of the closest, no doubt appearing awfully suspicious.

Mateo's eyes widened at the sight of her, but before he could call out her name and bring Esteban back running, Elena lunged forward and pressed her hand against his mouth, effectively silencing his exclamation as she tugged him into the closest with her by grabbing the lapels of his green jacket.

Once the door was quietly closed behind him, Elena removed her hand, flashing him an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I'm hiding from Esteban."

"I see," he replied in amusement, his voice barely above a whisper. "And may I ask why?"

Elena sighed and sat down on the floor, her back pressed against the door. "He keeps nagging me about the speech I'm supposed to give at the gala next week, asking if I have it written or memorized yet, and there's only so many ways I can say 'no', you know?"

"So he's just being himself then," Mateo joked, to which Elena couldn't help but smile. "But out of curiosity, why haven't you written it yet?"

Elena chewed on her bottom lip, turning the question over in her mind. "I guess I just can't think of what to say."

Mateo nodded in understanding, and a comfortable silence fell over the two of them as they say lost in thought. A moment later she glanced over at Mateo to see him shifting in the dim light, and then suddenly he pulled a small box of out of his back coat pocket, which she immediately recognized as a chocolate box.

She raised an eyebrow. "Hungry?" she asked, smiling at the apparent randomness of his action.

"No, not really," he chuckled. "I bought these at the market earlier, and I just remembered they were in my pocket and I didn't want to squish them." He opened the little box to reveal several chocolate truffles wrapped in shiny red paper. "Here, take one. Avaloran chocolate is said to cure all stress, right?"

"That sounds like a scientific fact," she agreed playfully, taking a truffle and unwrapping it. She tossed the wrapper on the ground between them as she popped the candy into her mouth, her eyes fluttering close as the creamy chocolate goodness melted in her mouth.

"Let the past guide your actions in the future," Mateo unexpectedly declared.

Elena opened her eyes in confusion. "What was that?"

She saw him hold up the shiny wrapper of his own candy. "There's a little saying written on every wrapper. That's just what mine said."

Intrigued, Elena retrieved her own wrapper and held it up to the light by the keyhole. "'The truth is always the honest way to go'," she read, shrugging her shoulders. "Well, I suppose it's not wrong."

Mateo suddenly snapped his fingers, causing Elena to jump at the sound."Hey! There you go! That's what you write your speech about."

"The truth? But I'm not hiding anything."

"No, just combine both of our wrappers, and think about it. 'Let the past guide your actions in the future,' and 'the truth is always the honest way to go'—your speech should tell everyone the truth about the past year, about everything from Shuriki to our new alliance with the Sirenas, and how it's gonna prepare us all for an even more prosperous and hopefully better year than before. You can tell everyone about your concerns and fears and how you've overcome them, and that this year we just have to keep moving forward and never give up, or something along those lines."

Elena mulled over the thought in her mind before she turned to stare at Mateo, his eyes shining despite the darkness in their little closet. She had been so focused on writing her speech about the upcoming year and the different ideas and plans she had in store for her kingdom, she hadn't even considered to use the speech as a way to inspire hope into everyone in Avalor. She couldn't believe she had never thought of it before, but now that he had mentioned it, it seemed like the perfect idea.

"Mateo," Elena began excitedly, and then leaned forward and hugged as much of him as she could from her position—which turned out to be just his arm—but her actions conveyed her joy anyway. "I think you just saved my life."

She heard him scoff at her exaggeration, but he used his free arm to squeeze her shoulder in return. "Technically it was the chocolates, but I'm always glad to be of assistance."

She laughed, no longer bothering to stay quiet. If Esteban was still lingering around and somehow found them, she'd be happy to report that she was going to work on her speech right away.

"I've got to go write all of this down before I forget," she announced, quickly jumping to her feet and reaching for the door.

"Here—take these," Mateo instructed, holding out his box of chocolates to her.

"But they're yours! I can't take—"

"Elena," Mateo interrupted. "Just take them. Consider it a new year's gala gift or something. Maybe they'll give you more inspiration."

Elena found herself oddly touched by his kind gesture, and ended up nodding. "Alright...thank you, Mateo." She stretched out her hand to take the box and felt her hand brush against his. A strange, warm tingling danced across her skin exactly where their fingers had touched, and Elena was thankful for the dark to hide her faint blush at her body's unwarranted reaction.

She had never felt anything like that around her friend before. It was new and different, but also a bit…electrifying?

Elena grasped the door handle and pushed, freeing herself from the tiny enclosed space and the jumbled emotions she was experiencing in it. It was probably nothing; she was just stressed and the closet was warm and stuffy, which was definitely a plausible excuse to why her skin felt strange. She decided not to dwell on it any longer as she looked back at him as he stood up from his position on the floor as well.

"Thank you again," she called hurriedly, and turned to run down the hall toward her bedroom.

"You're going to do great!" Mateo hollered encouragingly after her, and Elena couldn't help but smile, fingering the box of chocolates as much more than just the speech was now on her mind...

**II.**

"Princess Elena, where do you want me to put these?"

"Princess Elena, how many bouquets do you want in the entrance hall?"

"Princess, what should I do with these food trays?"

"Princess Elena, what do I—"

Elena had to resist the urge to clap her hands over her ears and run away from all the people bombarding her with questions in the courtyard. The Sunflower Festival wasn't supposed to be this chaotic, but when Naomi caught a nasty stomach bug three days ago and still hadn't recovered, Elena had to step up and take charge as the event coordinator.

Needless to say, she wasn't quite sure how Naomi did it. All morning people had been running up to her in a panic, asking her where certain things went, or where she wanted the festival dresses to be delivered, or how many sunflowers should be distributed out to the citizens of Avalor, and so on. Elena had tried her best to follow the instructions Naomi had given her, but there were some circumstances in which she found herself clueless and had to just rely on her common sense and intuition, which had thankfully been working for the most part.

And since Elena had been anticipating Naomi to be better by the time the festival actually arrived, she hadn't even started on her own task yet, which was to decorate the large stage in the middle of town square. She let out an irritated huff of breath at her own procrastination and stared blearily at the list in her hands, trying to decide which task was the most important to do next. She already had Isabel and her _abuelos_ helping out in the kitchen to prepare food, and Esteban was helping to organize the traffic flow of carriages as people from all over the land came to the heart of Avalor to celebrate their famous festival.

She had no clue where Gabe or Mateo where, but they had already done their part earlier and probably had other tasks to do, and she didn't want to burden them further with her own incompetence.

Elena tapped a finger to her chin, weighing her options before she finally decided to head down to the kitchens to start delivering food to the town square. There was always a giant feast that took place shortly after the dance, and with so many people arriving to celebrate the historical Avaloran tradition, she knew that a copious amount of food needed to be prepared and transported in order to feed everyone.

Yet Elena had hardly taken three steps before she heard another person calling her name.

"Elena! Princess Elena!" the voice hollered, and Elena steeled herself to be swamped with more questions, but turned to find that the voice belonged to Armando. She relaxed considerably and offered him a weary smile. He had been helping her nonstop all morning, and without him there to offer assistance, Elena would've probably torn out her hair in stress before the morning was over.

"Hey Armando," she greeted, watching the smaller man hurry over to her with a large grin on his face.

"Hello, princess," he greeted in return. "I just saw the stage and wanted to say you did a _fantastic _job decorating it! I assume everything else is going according to schedule too?"

"Well, I suppose so, but—" she suddenly paused, his words finally registering in her brain, "Wait, I didn't decorate the stage. I haven't had time to do hardly anything!"

Armando blinked in confusion. "Really? Because it looks very nice, with lots of streamers and flowers and lights—I thought for sure you had done it."

When Elena adamantly shook her head he simply shrugged, unfazed by whoever this mysterious festival decorator was. "Well, it got done and looks good, so I wouldn't worry about it," he advised, patting her hand in a soothing gesture after catching the look of perplexity on her face. "Someone probably did it as a surprise for you or something."

Elena hummed in agreement. "I suppose so," she consented, but was still curious to see it herself. "Say Armanado, I'm going to go bring some food down from the kitchens into town and help prepare the feast tables. Do you mind taking over for just a few minutes?"

She was already handing him Naomi's itinerary and all of her notes before he had even agreed to do so. "Thanks Armando. See you in a bit!" She gave him a hurried wave before she dashed off, her curiosity to see the decorated stage mixing with her desire to quickly get the next task on the list done.

Along with a few other servants, she grabbed several baskets of food and then piled them up inside a carriage to be brought down to the town square, and then hopped inside the carriage herself once the food was secured and ready to be delivered. Thankfully the drive was short and soon the large stage came into view.

Elena gasped, taking in the beautiful sight. Armando hasn't been exaggerating when he said it was fantastic. Sunflowers were woven through garland that adorned the side of the structure, and candles and twinkling lights lined the front of the stage, giving it a warm, inviting glow. The backdrop of the stage itself was nothing but sunflowers, all arranged to create one large flower in the very middle.

In short, it was beautiful.

Elena jumped out of the carriage, leaving the food to the other servants who had come with her, and wandered closer to the display, picking up a small bouquet of the yellow flowers as she stared at the whole thing in admiration.

"So, what do you think?" someone asked from behind her.

She spun around to find herself face to face with a beaming Mateo. "You did all of this?" She gestured to the stage in incredulity.

He shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I uh, hope you don't mind. I thought you could use a little extra help."

Elena playfully swatted his arm. "Don't be so modest—this is the best surprise I could've asked for!" With this big task completed, she didn't have to worry so much about having enough time to get everything else done too. "But really, you didn't have to do this. It was my responsibility and I should've planned better for it." She frowned, still annoyed at herself for putting it off for far too long.

Mateo looked almost exasperated by her statement. "Elena, you're my best friend. Surely you of all people should know that I would do anything I can to help you, whether it be fighting Malvagos or just decorating stages. I'm always there for you no matter what, remember?"

She _did_ remember, but her heart warmed at his words all the same. "Well, thank you again." She reached out to squeeze his hand, letting her fingers rest against his a bit longer than probably necessary, enjoying the familiar, warm tingle that seemed to race through her every time they now touched. "You've definitely saved me a lot of stress."

"Happy to help," he finally smiled back at her.

Elena grinned and pulled out one of the sunflowers in the small bouquet she was holding and tucked it into the colorful belt of his wizarding robes. "There. Now I can say I decorated _something_."

Mateo shook his head and chuckled. "Thanks. Now I feel ready for the festival." He fingered the flower, gazing at it fondly before reaching out to gently squeeze her shoulder. "Now let's get everything else ready for the festival, too."

Elena nodded in agreement, having momentarily forgotten her busy schedule. "Sounds like a plan." She returned his smile gratefully as they turned to head back toward the palace, wondering what she did to deserve a friend as wonderful as Mateo.

**III.**

The air was warm and muggy as Elena and her friends wandered through the streets of Cordoba. Having already finished the official kingdom business her whole family and handful of friends had traveled there for, Elena decided that it would be nice for all of them to go down to Cordoba's market and see what the neighboring kingdom had to offer. None of them had anticipated the dismal heat though, but they were all still determined to enjoy themselves nonetheless.

Francisco and Luisa had ducked into a nearby restaurant to get out of the direct heat after a few minutes of wandering around, but Isabel, Gabe, Naomi, Esteban, Mateo, and Elena had decided to keep sightseeing.

"Ooh, look at these hats!" Naomi cooed, running over to a hat vendor and admiring the large, sea captain's hat that had caught her eye. Esteban followed her, inspecting the other explorer hats the stand had on display as well.

Everyone else began to split up after Naomi and Esteban left the central group, and Elena passed by a jewelry stand a bit farther down the path. Normally she wasn't one to wear a lot of jewels, but one necklace in particular caught her eye. It was a fairly simple but beautiful necklace, with a thin gold chain and a sparkling sapphire set in the middle as a pendant. It reminded Elena of her magic scepter, and immediately she felt drawn to it—until she saw the price. It wasn't terribly expensive, but it could hardly be called cheap either.

_You don't really need it,_ she told herself, but couldn't help but gaze at it wistfully as she began to walk away.

She visited a few more stands, admiring the little trinkets each of the vendors had on display and even engaging in casual conversations with a few of them, but still couldn't get the necklace off of her mind. It kept nagging at her, and before long she knew she'd just end up disappointing herself and regretting it later if she didn't buy it. After stopping for a brief moment to watch Isabel chatter excitedly to Gabe about some sort of book over by a different stand, Elena returned to the jeweler, already reaching for her purse when—

She stopped and blinked at the sight before her.

It was _gone_.

Elena frowned, turning around to look at all the other people present in the market. There wasn't many, but there was still a possibility that one of them had boughten the necklace shortly after she'd left.

She had just turned around to go find Isabel again when she caught sight of Mateo, and decided to share her laments with him instead.

"Hey Mateo, did you see anyone by that stand recently?" She pointed over at the jewelry vendor.

Mateo shook his head. "No, I don't think so. Why?"

Elena held back a disappointed sigh. "It's nothing really, I just…I wanted to buy this necklace but then decided not to, but then I changed my mind but when I came back it was gone!" She tugged on the end of her ponytail in frustration. "I should've just bought it when I had the chance," she sighed dejectedly, knowing there was nothing she could do now besides forget it and move on, but still—it had been beautiful.

"Well, I wouldn't worry too much," Mateo said somewhat cryptically. "I don't think it's gone too far."

Elena squinted at him in confusion before he reached into his pocket and withdraw a beautiful sapphire necklace.

_The _necklace.

"_You_ bought it?" she inquired, still gaping at the piece of jewelry clutched in his grasp.

"Well, I didn't steal it if that's what you're getting at," he laughed, holding out his arm to hand it to her. "I, uh, got it for you, since you liked it so much. I was going to save it and give it to you later, but...I guess now seems as good a time as any."

"Mateo," Elena breathed in shock, touched that he would do that for her. "How—how did you even know that I liked it?"

"I saw you admiring it earlier, and I could tell you wanted it despite not purchasing it right away, so...I did for you." He shrugged as though it was no big deal.

"Thank you," Elena said sincerely, "but why? It wasn't exactly cheap." She began reaching toward her own coin purse. "I can pay you back if you—"

"No, no, it's a gift," Mateo quickly interrupted, holding up his hands to stop her. "I wanted you to have it."

"But why?" she couldn't help but ask. It wasn't exactly everyday that a guy bought her beautiful jewelry, much less a guy that also happened to be her very best friend in all of the Ever Realm.

"Does there have to be a reason?" Mateo asked, his expression earnest. "You liked it, and I wanted to buy it for you. It's...it's what friends do, right?"

It sounded like something people _more _than just friends would do, but Elena banished the thought before it could distract her any further. "I guess so," she conceded, fingering the jewel and marveling at it as it shone in the sunlight. "Thank you, thank you so much." Her smile was sweet and genuine when she looked back up at him, and then she held out the necklace. "Will you help me put it on?"

Mateo nodded, and Elena turned around, sweeping her hair off of the back of her neck so he could effectively close the clasp. His fingers gently fastened the jewelry around her neck, gently brushing against her skin as he did so. Elena had to bite her lip to keep herself from involuntary shivering at the effect his touch had on her. For the first time that day she was thankful for the heat, for she could blame her pink face on the warm weather rather than the emotions her best friend was somehow inflicting in her.

Once he had finished Elena turned back around, noticing the furtive glances both Isabel and Gabe were sending her as they stood a ways away, pointedly giving her and Mateo space. The heat may not have been enough of an excuse for Elena's flushed face anymore, but thankfully Mateo didn't seem to notice. He was squinting at the sun above them, using the sleeve of his red wizard robe to mop his forehead.

"I'm glad it never gets this hot in Avalor," he remarked, and Elena noticed his face was flushed too. But whether it was actually from the heat or their shared moment just a minute ago, she supposed she'd never know.

"How about we all go get some cool to drink in that little restaurant my _abuelos _are waiting in?" Elena suggested as Gabe and Isabel finally began to walk back over to them. Naomi and Esteban were further on down the path, still messing around with the hat vendor.

"I'm definitely up for that," Gabe agreed, having evidently overheard her proposal. Both Isabel and Mateo nodded in agreement, and the four of them left to round up their two other friends before leaving to get cooled off.

"Wow, beautiful necklace!" Naomi complimented as soon as she caught sight of Elena. "It looks perfect on you."

Elena thanked her and snuck a glance at Mateo to see him smiling as well.

_Perfect, indeed._

**IV.**

Elena woke up to the sun streaming through her window, casting it's beam on the foot of her bed and illuminating it like a spotlight. She glanced at the softly ticking clock on the wall, noting it was still fairly early in the morning, but she pulled the covers back and stretched, deciding to get an early start to the day anyway.

But it wasn't just any regular day. As soon as she stepped foot outside her room, servants and guards turned their attention toward her, beaming smiles alight on all of their faces as they stopped to say, "Happy Birthday, princess!"

Elena gratefully thanked everyone who spoke to her for their kind wishes, and by the time she reached the dining hall for breakfast, there was a perpetual blush painted on her cheeks at all the attention she'd received in her short walk through the palace.

"Elena!" her family cried exuberantly as soon as she entered the room. "_Feliz Cumpleaños!_"

A large grin spilt Elena's lips at the sight of the whole dining room decorated with bright and colorful birthday decorations. "Wow," she said in awe. "You guys really outdid yourself this year."

"Well, it's not every day that our dear _nieta_ turns nineteen!" Luisa exclaimed fondly, coming over to plant a loving kiss on Elena's cheek.

"Plus, if you're going to have a party, why not go all out, right?" Francisco added, giving her a tight hug. He then bent down and spoke under his breath. "There's also a full batch of pan dulce waiting for you on the table. I kept it safe from Isa and Esteban." He shot her a conspiratorial wink and Elena held back a giggle.

"_Gracias, abuelo_," she whispered to him before sitting down to have one of the most delicious breakfasts of her life. She talked amiably with her family about different topics and the latest gossip circulating around the kingdom before the door was opened and a guard stepped into the room, clearing his throat and calling everyone's attention to him.

"Princess Elena? These were just dropped off for you," he informed.

Before Elena could open her mouth to ask _what_ had been dropped off for her, another servant entered the room carrying a large bouquet of flowers.

"Oh!" Elena gasped in surprise, admiring the beautiful arrangement of flowers with pleasure as they were brought toward her. "Who are these from?" she inquired, rubbing the delicate petals between her fingertips. It was an assortment of all of her favorite types of flowers, so whoever had given them to her surely knew her well.

But after looking around with an expectant glance at her family, she came to realize they were just as in the dark as she was.

"I'm not sure, princess," the guard told her apologetically. "There was no card delivered with the flowers." He gave the rest of the royal family a shrug before nodding farewell and exiting the room.

As soon as he was gone, everyone turned their eyes on Elena.

"Well well well, it looks like you have a secret admirer," Esteban remarked coyly, pouring himself a drink. "Any guesses who it might be?"

Elena found herself clueless. Who would mysteriously give her a large bouquet of flowers as a surprise on her birthday? She mentally ran through a list of her close friends and acquaintances in her head, but out of all of them only one person stuck out in her mind—a person who knew her well enough and was sweet enough to send her flowers as a birthday gift.

_But was it really Mateo, or is this just wishful thinking?_ Elena thought with uncertainty. She wasn't sure _why_ she wanted it to be Mateo so bad, but the idea of someone sending her a beautiful bouquet seemed almost romantic to her, and her heart quickened it's pace at the prospect of the possible proclamation.

Could her friend perhaps like her as...more than a friend?

Although the thought had rarely entered her mind throughout their several years of friendship, in just the past few months Elena had been entertaining the idea more and more. Having Mateo as not only the royal wizard but as her—dare she say it—_boyfriend,_ had become an appealing daydream for her, but then there was the fact that he was also one of her very best friends, and she didn't want to risk losing him in case he didn't feel the same way—although from their conversation and behavior in just the past few weeks, she was beginning to feel more optimistic about the possibility of changing of the nature of their relationship.

"Well Elena, it looks like you have a mystery on your hands," Luisa commented with a knowing smile—a smile that made Elena think she had jumped to the same conclusion she had.

Elena returned her grandmother's grin and quickly finished the rest of her breakfast, eager to see if her hunch was correct after all. In just a matter of minutes she was hurrying over to the palace library, hoping to run into the royal wizard over there. Luck happened to be on her side, for as she peered through the hidden entrance to the secret workshop she could clearly see Mateo standing by his desk, intently flipping through the pages of one of his many large tomes.

She knocked on the door frame to alert him to her presence, and then casually said, "Hey! Watcha up to?" as she clasped her hands behind her back and sauntered over to him.

He glanced up at her arrival, a large smile splitting his face. "Elena! Happy birthday!" he greeted her happily. "I'm not doing too much, just a bit of research." He shrugged and closed the book he was previously looking at. "So what brings you down here today?"

Elena turned and pretended to admire one of the many tools and instruments mounted to the walls. "Well, the strangest thing happened at breakfast," she began, gauging his reaction out of the corner of her eye. "Some mysterious person sent me a large bouquet of flowers, and I have no idea who it's from." She then finally turned to look at him, taking in his confused expression. "You don't happen to know who sent them, do you?" she inquired innocently.

Mateo's frown deepened as he stared at the floor. "There, uh, wasn't a card or anything?"

"Nope."

He crossed his arms over his chest, and Elena noticed his face was flushed red. "Well that's strange," he muttered, so quietly Elena could hardly hear. Then suddenly his head snapped up and he looked at her with an expression of pure mortification. "Did you say the flowers were delivered during _breakfast_? Like, when everyone was there eating?"

"Uh, yeah," she replied, taken aback by his sudden outburst.

Mateo raked his hands through his wavy hair, his eyes now glued to the ceiling instead of the floor. "Well, I guess it's a good thing they forgot the card then. I told them to deliver it _after_ breakfast, meaning like midday or something, so there'd be no one else around but you."

Elena's eyes widened at his subtle admittance. "So you _were _the one who sent the flowers!" Her heart began to race despite itself.

Mateo sighed, his hand reaching up to self-consciously rub the back of his neck. "Yeah, it was me," he confirmed. "So..happy birthday? It wasn't supposed to be a secret though, I had a card that was supposed to be delivered with them." He frowned in disappointment at the evident mishaps involved with his gift. "I, uh, hope you like them. I know it's not really much but...you always say flowers make you smile, and I just wanted you to be happy on your special day." He looked up at her shyly, a small grin present on his lips.

Elena opened her mouth to thank him wholeheartedly, but no words came out, so she resorted to physical action instead. In just a few short steps she had closed the space between them and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, her face buried in the collar of his wizards robes. She could feel Mateo stiffen in shock at her sudden affection, but he quickly returned the embrace, wrapping his arms across her shoulders and pressing his cheek into her hair.

"Thank you," Elena finally managed to get out. "It's the sweetest present anyone has ever given me," she told him earnestly, to which Mateo simply hugged her tighter.

"You're welcome, Elena," he whispered fondly in return.

And as they stood there in each other's embrace, Elena found that she would be perfectly content to just stay wrapped up in his arms all day long.

**V. **

The sky grew darker as Elena's nerves grew more jumbled and tense. She shouldn't be anxious; it made no logical sense. It was her favorite holiday, _Dia De Los Muertos,_ and she was finally going to see her parents again. She had _dreamed _of this day for months and months—of the one day she could finally speak to her parents after spending so many years mourning for them, just wishing beyond hope that she could ask for their advice or just have them by her side.

So why did she feel..._nervous_?

Elena glanced out the palace window and swallowed past the lump forming in her throat. It had been almost two years since she'd last seen them and spoken to their spirits, seeing as the previous year she had spent the whole day with her _abuelo _and his friends, so she should have plenty of things to talk to them about.

Elena glanced away from the setting sun and twisted the hem of her festive dress between her fingers. But so much had happened in the last two years, what was she supposed to tell them? About the Delgado's? About her battle with Shuriki? About how she was so close to being coronated as queen, but still didn't feel ready to rule on her own?

Elena dropped the corner of her dress and smoothed out the fabric of her skirt, ignoring the continuous stream of questions flooding her head. It would be fine. It was just her parents—nothing to be apprehensive about at all.

"Elena!"

Elena jumped and spun around, her eyes wide from being startled. Her heartbeat quickly returned to its normal pace once she saw Mateo approaching her, his eyes squinted in concern at her behavior.

"Are you alright?" he asked tentatively, reaching out a hand to gently grip her shoulder. "You look kinda...out of it."

"No, sorry, I'm fine," Elena quickly assured, plastering a smile on her face. "I was just...lost in thought." She turned to glance out the window again, her eyes landing on the altar for her parents down in the courtyard, all decorated and ready for the festival that evening. The wreath of marigolds sitting in the center glowed in the evening sun, and Elena felt another pang of nervousness wash over her.

"Elena?" softly Mateo prompted again. The heat from his hand still on her shoulder sunk through the thin fabric of her dress, and she shivered despite the comforting warmth.

Biting her lip, she turned back to face him. This was Mateo. Easily the most trusted person in her life, and her dearest...friend? Friend seemed to weak a word to describe their bond now, but Elena wasn't sure what else to label their relationship for the time being.

She took a breath before spilling her internal dilemma to him. "Have you ever been looking forward to something so much, but then suddenly it's here and you're worried that it won't be as wonderful as you've made it out to be in your head? Or that you'll somehow end up disappointed?"

Mateo studied her for a second, his expression thoughtful. "Is this about seeing your parents again?"

Elena had to smile to herself despite her current emotions. Of course he knew she was alluding to her parents. He knew her all too well.

"Why are you worried about seeing your parents?" he asked, running his hand down her arm to gently take her hand into his.

Just his small gesture eased away some of her unexplained nerves. "I don't know…" she admitted slowly. "It's just been so long since I've talked to them and there's just so much that's happened in that time, I'm—" she paused, letting out a weary sigh as she stared into his caring hazel eyes. "I'm afraid I'm going to somehow disappointment them, or—or let them down, or…" She shook her head in frustration, turning her gaze down to the floor to scowl at her feet. "I know it sounds ridiculous and I keep telling myself that they'll always love me no matter what, but—"

"You just want them to be proud and approve of your choices," Mateo finished with an understanding nod.

"Yeah," Elena agreed in a whisper.

There was a beat of silence before Mateo took a step closer, closing his other hand over their already interlaced fingers. "It's not ridiculous at all. Everyone has doubts and worries, and yours are as valid as anyone's. But I will tell you," he offered her a sweet smile, "that after everything you've faced recently, and how you've bourne it all with such dignity and grace and wisdom like no other person in all of Avalor, I can guarantee they're going to be proud no matter what. I know I am."

Elena squeezed his hand, astounded at how he _always _left her speechless. She knew her cheeks were pink from his praise but at that moment she couldn't care less.

"Thank you," she finally managed to say, and leaned forward to press a lingering kiss to his cheek. She was pleased to see his face turn even redder than her own, yet he never averted his gaze the whole time.

"Will you come down to my parent's altar with me?" she asked, turning away from the window, their hands still joined together.

"Of cour—oh! That reminds me!" He used his free hand to fish a folded paper out of his pocket. "I found this in between one of the old books in the library. I thought you'd like to put it on their altar." He passed the small item to her and watched as she unfolded it with curiosity, and then gasped lightly.

It was a picture. It had to be nearly fifty years old, seeing as the paint was faded and the corners brittle and thin, but it was of her, Isabel, and her parent when they were young. In the picture they were all smiling, their arms wrapped around each other in a big group hug, an image of pure happiness.

"I remember this," she whispered, recalling the painter who had gifted the picture to her family. "Mateo, this is...this is the most perfect thing you've ever given me!" She glanced up at him, her eyes glassy as she continued to recall the fond memories from that day. "How do you always know exactly what to do to cheer me up?"

Mateo shrugged modestly, but Elena could see his lips twitching upward in a pleased grin. "I just like seeing you happy," he said.

_Just seeing your smile everyday makes me happy,_ she thought fondly, but didn't voice her thoughts just yet. It wasn't the right time.

Instead she simply clutched the picture close to her chest and tugged on his hand, leading him down to the courtyard. She still couldn't shake the feeling of slight nervousness, but with Mateo's presence by her side, she knew she had nothing more to worry about.

**+I. **

"_Feliz Navidad_!" Isabel cried, waving goodbye to people as they exited the palace. The _nochebuena _party had gone on much longer than anyone had anticipated, making it nearly midnight before everyone finally began heading home, but all the guests enjoyed themselves nonetheless.

Slowly but steadily people began to trickle out the door, heading home to get a good night's rest before the celebrations continued the next day on Navidad, and soon the only people left were the Turners, Mateo and his mom, and of course the royal family.

And Elena was a nervous wreck.

All evening she had been scheming, trying to think of the best way to give Mateo the second gift she had planned for him, although it didn't really take much work on her part to get the gift prepared in the first place. _Delivering _it to him though—that was going to be the hardest part of it all.

Elena ran her thumb across her bottom lip, her skin tingling at the thought of what Mateo's lips against hers would feel like. They had talked a little bit that night, sending each other fond glances and affectionate smiles, but nothing more had happened.

It had been like that all year. It was as if she and Mateo were sitting beside the ocean, occasionally dipping a flirtatious toe into the surf but never completely taking the plunge, and never letting the waves of their feelings for each other fully wash over them. But Elena was tired of this dance they had perfected, where they could clearly show their feelings without ever speaking about or acting on them, and tonight she wanted to give Mateo the perfect give—a Christmas kiss, and finally take that plunge.

But despite the fact that Mateo clearly returned her affections, Elena was still nervous, regardless of everything that had transpired between them that year. She had never felt such deep devotion, admiration and affection for anyone other than Mateo before. He was everything she needed, and she couldn't believe it had taken her as long as it did before she finally realized he was the only one she ever wanted to be with, and that in his own Mateo-like way, he had completely captured her heart.

Elena couldn't help but smile, her eyes immediately drawn to him as he entered the parlor with another plate of food, talking animatedly to Naomi. She knew she had to give him his 'gift' soon, before he and his mom departed like the rest of the guests, but how?

_Maybe I can trap him under the mistletoe? _Elena mused to herself. _Or maybe I should just drag him out of the room and kiss him senseless in the hallway?_ She refrained from grinning too hard at her last thought, just imagining the look on his face once she was finished with him. Her nerves were slowly giving away to anticipation and excitement, and in a burst of courage, Elena got up from her seat and made her way over to her two friends, the sound of the pounding blood in her ears drowning out the tail end of their conversation.

Mateo paused what he was saying to send Elena a special smile, one the she came to associate as _her _smile_, _before turning back to Naomi to finish his train of thought.

"...and on the tenth try, Olivia _finally _got the spell right, but then of course it made it start raining inside the workshop," Mateo finally finished, shaking his head in exasperated amusement.

"Well, at least you can't say your life is boring," Naomi responded, stealing a cracker from his food plate and popping the whole thing into her mouth.

Mateo frowned at Naomi's thieving actions before turning to Elena, holding out his plate to her. "Apparently I'm sharing my food. You want some?"

"No thanks…" Elena declined, having already eaten her fill earlier, "..._but,_ I could really go for some more pan dulce," she fibbed, the idea forming in her head as she spoke. "I think I heard there was a whole fresh batch sitting in the kitchen. Want to come with me and get some?" she asked Mateo hopefully, even though eating pan dulce was the last thing on her mind.

Mateo shrugged. "Sure. Naomi?"

Elena inwardly cringed. She loved her friend, but as of right now she just wanted to be alone with Mateo.

Naomi seemed to notice Elena's lack of enthusiasm about her joining them, and shook her head. "Nah, I should probably find my parents and head home. It's getting pretty late." She yawned widely. "See you guys tomorrow." She then turned and gave Elena a surreptitious wink before leaving to go find her parents.

Elena made a mental note to profusely thank Naomi the next morning.

"Alright, looks like it's just you and me then," Mateo said, his arm brushing against hers and they walked out into the hallway.

They could hear the voices of the Turners and the rest of the remaining guests in the entrance hall, bidding each other goodbye, and then it grew silent. Elena shifted, afraid that Mateo could hear her furiously pounding heart or uneven breathing.

"Thank you for the gift again," Mateo finally said, looking down and admiring the new boots she had given him. His _first_ gift. "They fit perfectly."

"Oh, you're welcome," she replied, glancing down at his feet too. She had given the shoes to him early after the whole water accident that had taken place with his apprentice in his workshop. She figured her could use them as soon as possible, seeing as he'd had the same boots ever since he became wizard, and the recent accident finally did the old ones in.

"I have another gift for you too," Elena blurted, before her mind could catch up to her mouth.

Her heart sped up to what felt like nearly a million beats per minute as he turned to look at her, curiosity shining in his eyes. "Really? You didn't have to do that."

"I...I wanted do," she responded, thankful that her voice was fairly even and steady. "It's been something I've been, uh, planning and, uh, thinking about for awhile." She clasped her hands behind her back, trying not to fidget under his gaze.

He looked around expectantly, as though waiting for the gift to appear out of midair. "Is it in here or back in the parlor?"

"Uh, here," she answered truthfully, her palms beginning to grow sweaty. She tried to discreetly wipe them off on the side of her dress. "But close your eyes, it's a surprise."

Mateo squinted an eye at her, as though trying to figure out what she was up to, but then nodded obligingly, setting his plate of food down on a nearby table and closing both of his eyes.

_This is it,_ Elena thought to herself as she slowly approached the wizard. All the months of dreaming about when they'd finally take that next step, of when they'd finally succumb to the feelings threatening to overtake them—they all wound down to this moment.

Elena drew closer, her eyes trained on his pink lips. Once she was right in front of him, she gently placed her hands on his shoulders, delighting in the way he softly gasped before relaxing under her touch.

"Do you trust me?" she whispered, her lips barely a hair's breadth away from his now.

"Always," he replied just as quietly, and Elena could see the faint blush crawling slowly up his cheeks.

Then before she could lose any more of her courage, she leaned forward, and pressed her lips to his.

Elena hadn't been expecting a perfect kiss; she had prepared herself for a clumsy or rushed first kiss, not at all like the ones people read about in romance novels or fairy tales.

But like always, Mateo exceeded her expectations.

Their lips touched gently and sweetly, and their heads were tilted at just the right angle so that their noses barely touched each other. Mateo's hands lay still by his side before he tentatively brought them up to rest on her waist, holding her just a little closer as their lips continued to move over each other.

Elena broke the kiss a second later and leaned back to look into his eyes, which were now wide open and staring into hers with wonder.

There wasn't any need for words, and a moment later their lips were joined again, pressing together harder with more boldness than before. Elena's arms circled around his neck as her deft fingers tangled in the curls of his hair, and Mateo's hands began slowly moving up and down her back, sending tingles of heat flashing across her skin.

It was as though they had kissed a thousand times before. Everything felt so natural, so _perfect_, as if it was always meant to be. Their kiss had been a long time coming, and it was everything Elena could've dreamed and more.

Then suddenly Mateo abruptly broke away from the kiss. "New years," he suddenly said, catching her off guard.

"What?" she asked, her brows knitted in confusion.

"News years eve," he said again, smirking at her bewildered expression. "That was when I was planning to make my move. But you beat me to it."

"Oh!" Elena's mouth opened in surprise, but she couldn't have been more elated. "It seems we both had the same thing on our minds then." She smiled coyly at him, still pressed against him and casually wrapped up in his arms.

"Great minds think alike," Mateo joked, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose. "But I have to say," he continued, a playful gleam still in his eye. "I think I like this gift more than the boots."

Elena grinned, absentmindedly looping his hair around her fingers. "I was trying to come up with the perfect gift—some way to say thank you for everything you've done and given me this past year." She bit her bottom lip in uncertainty. "I hope it's enough."

Mateo shot her a look of pure incredibility. "'_Enough'_? Elena, this is the most wonderful present I've ever received in my whole life! Just knowing that you like me and want to pursue something more than a friendship with...with _me_? It's unreal… I don't know what I did to deserve such a gift." He gently caressed her cheek, as though enchanted by the sight of her.

Elena was already shaking her head before he could finish. "Knowing that you care so deeply about me, after you've seen me at my worst and lowest points, and that you still love me and are interested in me? That's the true gift. You have such a big heart, Mateo, and it's me who should be grateful to have such a honorary spot in it."

Mateo opened his mouth, as though planning on debating the topic more, but Elena stopped his words with a tender kiss.

"Let's just agree that we're both extremely lucky," she mumbled against his lips. "And that we've finally come to our senses regarding our feelings."

"Fine," Mateo begrudgingly mumbled back, but from his roaming hands and the ways he was nuzzling her neck, she knew he was completely in agreement. He then brought his lips up to her ear. "Thank you, _mi amada_," he whispered ardently against her skin.

Elena tightened her hold on him. "And thank you, _mi amor." _She grinned at him, her eyes shining with happiness. "_Feliz Navidad._"

And as their lips once again met each others' and all else around them was forgotten, it could be guaranteed that the kiss itself was a Navidad gift neither of them would ever forget.

FIN ~


End file.
